SM Mall of Asia Opens Two New Cinemas Featuring Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Movie Review Included)

SM Mall of Asia has just opened two more cinemas with Rogue One as its first film to be played on screen. The brief event started with a small prayer and ended with the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Cinemas 7 and 8 to the public. Special guests arrived, including a few Rogue One cosplayers dressed as Jyn Erso and Darth Vader along with a few storm troopers. Also present were kids in their own cute costumes. The new cinemas house more than one hundred and fifty reclining seats as well as the latest video technology and Dolby Speakers to provide guests with the best movie-watching experiences possible.

my dad and I: both Star Wars fans

The latest movie is Star Wars' eighth installment to its already successful franchise in the Star Wars universe. Last year, 2015 ended on a high note for fans thank to the release of Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Now, despite everything that has happened this 2016, Rogue One is also closing the year with a bang.

before the ribbon cutting ceremonies

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the eighth Star Wars film released by Lucasfilms, yet isn’t numbered or titled as part of the main series. Rogue One offers its own unique and diversified cast, with a story which will engage viewers the same way its counterpart films did. Basically, Rogue One fills in the gap between the first and last of the first six films released. In format, it is a sequel to Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and a prequel to Episode IV: A New Hope. To summarize, this is the story where Jyn Erso and the crew steal the Death Star Plans. Part of the story can be literally read during the opening crawl of Episode IV, where we finally see how it all went down. 

inside the new MOA cinema

All in all, the film was awesome! The cast did an exceptional job. Felicity Jones was great as Jyn Erso. Although I haven’t seen her other films, I’m glad she was cast for Rogue One. Other few standouts for me include the droid K-2SO voiced by Alan Tudyk as well as Donnie Yen’s character who added a bit more weight on the ways of the Force. The antagonist, Orson Krennic played by Ben Mendelsohn, did a great job as well as a solid villain. Action scenes were intense as they go. Any avid Star Wars fan would definitely find Rogue One reminiscent of previous films, with ground battles shifting back and forth to space battles, then back to the lead protagonists as they try to accomplish their mission. 

with Star Wars cosplayers

A couple of characters in the old cast were also brought back in this film including Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Grand Moff Tarkin and, of course, Darth Vader. These characters were present yet, with the exception of Mon Mothma, they do not offer any substantial change that would affect the story. Although he wasn’t in many scenes much, it was simply bliss to see Vader once again for all fans. Even though a few decades has already passed since his appearance in the ending trilogy, he still holds an iconic role as one of the greatest villains of all time.

Rogue One is now showing is SM Cinemas

On the other hand, what really surprised me is Moff Tarkin’s reappearance in this film. In honor of the deceased Peter Cushing, the digital recreation to bring his character to life -- from his face to his expressions, even his voice -- was amazing! Despite having only a few scenes, Moff Tarkin in Rogue One was just a joy to watch because it felt nostalgic from his first appearance in A New Hope. Another character was also treated in a similar fashion in the film, but you can either guess or see it for yourself.  There were also other cameos made of brief appearances that served as great Easter eggs for fans as there are a number of them in this film. 

aside from these characters, keep your eyes open for cameos

While Star Wars has always been established in showcasing the two sides of good and evil in the previous films, Rogue One however added a new tone, on how we used to perceive the Rebellion as ‘good’, whereas all of the Empire is pure ‘evil’. We see both sides inheriting a side that was rarely or probably never existed in the previous films, specifically in this case, the Rebels' "dark side", which was interesting to see in this particular universe.

cool costumes!

Despite being a standalone film, Rouge One ties in with the main series perfectly and works as its own movie. What I really love about it is how it ended and how it links itself directly to the very first film. How everything wrapped up immediately comes together as it unfolds, and it was just performed brilliantly and went beyond what I could have ever imagined. Personally, the title of the first film never gave as much of an impact as to where that 'hope' was based on. Rogue One has given me clarity on what A New Hope really meant. 

catch Rogue One in SM Mall of Asia's Cinemas 7 and 8!

Overall, Rogue One definitely exceeded my expectations. I may have even enjoyed this film far better than Episode VII, and would definitely see it again in theaters for a second time. The cast is a welcome addition to the Star Wars family. All characters were very enjoyable, the story was executed incredibly well, action scenes were performed in true Star Wars fashion, and that ending was just brilliant. It has been a roller-coaster of emotion for almost a few decades now for Star Wars fans, and this film closes that chapter of the original trilogy with a subtle touch. Definitely, Rogue One is a Star Wars Story worth telling.